Lady Aralie
Lady Aralie is the Goddess of art and inspiration. She appeared to the people of Nova Caledon in the city's one-hundred-and-first year, declaring herself to be the culminated spirit of their ambition, creation, and glory. She encouraged the awestruck people to walk the path to grace and perfection, and has ever since. She appears as a ethereal, brown-skinned woman with graceful hands and piercing green eyes, dressed in rose-silk robes. Although she walks barefoot on the ground, her pristine skin is never marred by her surroundings. Her presence is intoxicating, filling hearts and minds with ardor and renewal. Lady Aralie indicates her approval by gilding nearby plantlife with gold and silver trim. She expresses dissatisfaction with a feeling of profound disgust with one's self without knowing why. Lady Aralie is associated with morning glories, parrots, pearl oysters, and strawberry trees. Her holy symbol is a flowering blossom against a white circle. Blessings White this blessing is active, you gain a piety bonus to Artistry and Perform skill checks, and to Craft skill checks made to create something for aesthetic purposes. While this blessing is active, you gain a piety bonus to saving throws against illusion effects. While this blessing is active, you gain a piety bonus to the bonus you to aid Artistry and Perform skill checks, and to Diplomacy skill checks made to influence a creature's attitude. Obedience and Boons Spend fifteen minutes musing on how to improve your art, craft, or performance. The rest of the hour is to be spent acting in pursuit of that improvement. Gain a piety bonus to all d20 rolls made immediately regarding that pursuit (e.g. Craft sculpture for a sculptor, Artistry orchestra for a composer, etc.). Confer with your DM to what your bonus applies. Once per day, you may use adoration'' 3/day; or ''eagle's splendor ''2/day; or ''spotlight 1/day as spell-like abilities. Once you have chosen one of those abilities, you may not use another until the next day. Once per day, you may channel Lady Aralie's grace through you. You and a number of allies equal to your Charisma or Wisdom modifier (whichever is higher, minimum 1) 'gain the benefits of Inspire Greatness and Inspire Competence for 1 minute, treating your effective Bard level as your character level. When you first gain this boon your type permanently changes to Daemon, and you gain the Muse and Vassal (Lady Aralie) subtypes; should you ever fail to perform your daily obedience, you lose all other features of this boon and are sickened until you do. Pick two Benedictions; you gain the ability to use them as written, and are considered a beneficiary of both of them. Description Dogma Inspiration. Passion. Perfection. These simple facets of faith are what Lady Aralie expects of her worshipers. Before all other concerns, lady Lady Aralie demands her faithful to pursue perfection in their craft. Common practices such as swordsmanship, masonry, and pursuit of the arcane can be satisfactory to her, but she greatly prefers endeavors such as dramatic theater, musicianship, and the physical arts. Ultimately any craft can satisfy Lady Aralie, so long as it is elegant, brings glory to the practicioner, and seeks constant improvement. Lady Aralia's worshipers are also expected to observe or contribute to her temples, to protect places and objects of beauty, and to aid artists, musicians, and performers in their pursuits. A worshiper who too frequently chooses their own morality over Lady Aralie's demands soon finds themselves in foul favor with their Goddess. Lady Aralie has little patience for indolence and incompetence. The Church The official business of the Aralian church is up to its constituents. With little direction from Lady Aralie herself, and with the capricious and oftentimes conflictory guidance from her Muses, her followers tend to split and fracture into localized factions wherever they are found ''en masse. Good-aligned worshipers typically use their talents to benefit others, often improving the quality of life for those with little beauty in their lives at all. They see other Aralians as part of a greater community, and non-Aralians as undisciplined or uninspired souls to be lifted out of the drudgery of their mundane lives. Evil-aligned worshipers typically seek fame and glory for its own sake, climbing higher on the ladder of ambition by stepping on their lessers. They see other Aralians as competitors and obstacles, and non-Aralians as chaff, fodder, or fuel for the fires of greatness within them. Temples Aralian symposiums are places of beauty and grandeur, and always include spaces for the faithful to exhibit their artistry. A symposium hosts a public performance or exhibition for the public every other Soldae. Larger symposiums boast intricate detail in every aspect of architecture and display, and those with sufficient traffic serve dual purposes as permanent religious and cultural centers (museums, galleries, memorials, etc.). Such centers are expected to favor one style of art or craftsmanship over others, to elevate that form of artistry to new heights. The Clergy The Aralian clergy are almost exclusively Bards, Clerics, and Oracles, although it is common for gifted artisans to serve as ordained ministers. A minister's duty is to shepherd churchgoers, acting as a local benefactor and patron to any seeking refinement. While a religious leader can be found in symposiums at all hours of the day, sermons are only held every third day at sunrise and sunset, with the inclusion of alternating Soldaes (see Temples). It is the duty of the minister to inspire awe, inspiration, and grandeur within their audience each sermon, and time is required to prepare for such a task. Aralian sermons are typically attractive and interesting events to witness, and people of all faiths have been known to visit Aralian symposiums to observe the spectacle. The ability to attract these guests in large numbers is a mark of pride for the faithful. Adventurers To join the ''Protettori ''and live in defense of Nova Caledon is a noble calling for Aralian aristocrats, and a way to escape the oppressive living conditions for the working class. Other Aralians take up the call to leave their city for stranger shores, taking a planar gateway to far and foreign lands. These adventurers may be searching for the perfect piece of inspiration to finish their work, while others aspire to leave behind a legacy to inspire generations to come. Favored Classes Bards, Clerics, Diplomats, Inquisitors, Oracles, and Swashbucklers. Clothing Clergy members are expected to dress in appropriately refined attire, favoring colors like white, rose pink, and sky blue. Priests wear finely-crafted robes or well-tailored suits and dresses, depending on the region, but always wear a white stole with the Aralian holy symbol worn on the back of the neck. Aralians are expected to have access to the tools necessary to be able to further their art at any time. Holy Texts There are no official holy texts produced by Lady Aralie herself. Very rarely, a mortal will impress her with a singularly remarkable or magnificent work of art. These favored performances, and the mortals responsible for them, are treasured by the faithful who witnessed their performance. The tales of the act that caught Lady Aralie's attention brings wealth, glory, and power to those involved. Rituals and Holidays *Festival of New Dawn' The 18th of Mystam marks a momentous day, as celebrants flock from across the planes in preparation for the massive, city-wide celebration Nova Caledon holds each year to mark the appearence of Lady Aralie. The festival kicks into full swing on the 20th at dawn and lasts for two full days afterwards. Any rolls to generate capital in the city on the 20th are made at a +10 modifier. *'The Musebringer's Faire''' begins on the 1st of Telth and lasts for an entire week afterward. Artisans, artists, craftspeople, and common folk all flock to the chosen Faireground for a week-long festival where the skilled and talented extol their abilities in hopes of attracting the attention of a Muse for the year to come. The days of the faire are considered a good time to begin a new enterprise or long-term project. Relations with other Religions Lady Aralie has no real relationship with The Four. However, Lady Aralie sees the Hadean Saintess of Beauty, Lavinia, as a kindred spirit to nurture. She sees Lavinia as a foolish younger sister; reckless in her choice of company, naïve in her compassion, less accomplished than her elder, and too young to know better. The Poet King and Lady Aralie share a strained friendship. Mjolandr is among the elder artists in creation, his talents nearly without peer, and worthy of a position of respect in Lady Aralie's eyes. Unfortunately, a dragon's vanity is a cruel master, and artists are their own worst critics, as Mjolandr and Lady Aralie can both attest. Each thinks of themselves as the superior artist, and while the two conflict on that matter above anything else, the have always enjoyed each other's company. Kuulvaniz receives open scorn, derision, and hostility from Lady Aralie and her worshipers. Both deities share a deep love for beauty, but the similarities end there. The Lady's love is ambitious, demanding, and productive, while Kuulvaniz's indulgences are addictive, possessive, toxic, and destructive. Realm Little is known about the origin of Lady Aralie's divinty, nor the realm where she resides when she is not entertaining petitioners. Very rarely, Lady Aralie will appear in one of Nova Caledon's orchestra buildings or opera houses and allow a mortal to present their works before her. Vassals Lady Aralie infrequently graces mortalkind with her attentions, and prefers to do so through her lovely intermediaries, the Muses. These inspiring daemons are attractive, self-centered, and compelled to urge their chosen mortal towards fulfilling their greatness or potential. While more often than not this turns out well for the charge, Muses have been known to be overzealous in this pursuit. Elioud and Nephilim Little is known about Lady Aralie's direct children as she has mothered none. Muses, however, are capable of reproduction with mortals, and are responsible for the birth of her divine descendants. While Lady Aralie looks fondly on the offspring as wayward nephews and nieces, their bloodline ensures them the highest peaks of triumph and the deepest pits of tragedy. Museborn Elioud are stunning to behold, and are graced with a natural ease of confidence that encourages them to pursue leadership. Museborn Nephilim are as gorgeous as their goodly cousins, but their inheritance brings the arrogance that comes from knowing their superiority over others. Both are nearly incapable of abiding by personal inadequacy or incompetence, and are prone to fits of explosive melodrama. Category:Independent Deities Category:Deities of Glory Category:Deities of Nobility Category:Lawful Neutal Deities Category:Deities of Charm Category:Intermediate Deities